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Banish the pesky 3pm slump with exercising

by The Pipon 28 June 2016in PipCorporate

The 3pm slump can be the bane of workplace existence. It is a time when eyes glaze over and motivation sinks. In fact, some suggest that the best time for social media strategists to post to Twitter and Facebook is at 3pm on a weekday because so many people log on at this time. The 3pm slump is not a pleasant feeling and nor is it helpful for workplaces. So are there ways to reduce it? Yes and one solution may be exercise.

A research study looked at three workplaces that provided on-site exercise facilities. They asked workers about their mood and energy in the morning and in the afternoon on days they exercised and on days they didn’t [1]. On exercise days employees had better mood in the afternoon, less fatigue and felt better at time management. They reported that exercising during the day gave them a sense of perspective on work leaving them better able to cope with stress and giving them a sense of personal achievement. Other studies have found that short bouts of exercise not only boost mood but also improve memory performance and other cognitive abilities [2].

Yet workers also reported some downsides to daytime exercise including a sense of guilt about leaving work and worries that colleagues would judge them negatively for doing so [1]. It is possible that many of the employees who weren’t exercising during the day felt the same way and that this was one thing stopping them from taking it up.

So what can be done? Providing on-site facilities may not be possible for many workplaces but changing the workplace culture can be. If exercise during the day becomes a norm employees may be more likely to take advantage of the benefits it offers. There is a fine line between encouragement and pressure, however.

Many people may not wish to exercise for other reasons but, as our blog last month showed, even a short walk or similar non-strenuous activity outside can help to boost mood, mental ability and decrease stress (link to post) thereby banishing, or at least reducing, the 3pm slump.

1. Dugdill, L., et al., Exercising at work and self-reported work performance. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 2008. 1(3): p. 176-197.
2. Hogan, C.L., J. Mata, and L.L. Carstensen, Exercise holds immediate benefits for affect and cognition in younger and older adults. Psychology and aging, 2013. 28(2): p. 587.

How exercise reduces stress

by The Pipon 20 June 2016in PipLife

We all know exercise is good for you and most of us probably have great intentions of doing more than we currently do. More often than not, however, the idea of exercising at the end of stressful day is just not appealing. We would far rather curl up on the couch and watch TV than pull on exercise gear and venture outside. Yet in the long run exercise may help to build up resilience against stress.
Studies have shown that people who are more physically active are less prone to stress [1]. Research has even shown that children who are physically active have a less extreme biological reaction to stress compared to their peers who are not physically active [2].

But why is exercise good for stress? It certainly doesn’t feel like a stress relieving activity at times, particularly when your breath is ragged, your muscles hurt and the air outside is cold. We know that exercise can be good for stress but research is only just starting to find out why. In a recent study researchers in the Karolinska Institute in Sweden noted that a protein called PGC-1alpha1 builds up in the muscle when people exercise [3]. This protein can also clear out enzymes that travel from the blood to the brain and are associated with stress-induced depression. They therefore wondered if this protein may be part of the answer as to why exercise reduces stress. They took two groups of mice, one group with a high level of this protein in their muscles and one normal group. They then stressed them out by exposing them to noise and flashing lights, something that creates stress-induced depression in the animals. They found that the group with the high levels of PGC-1alpha1 protein did not become depressed with the added stress while the normal mice did. The exercise-related protein seemed to protect the mice from the effects of stress.

Of course more research needs to be done in humans to really understand the effects but it is one more step towards understanding how exercise affects stress and, maybe, one further step to getting us out the door to exercise at the end of a stressful day.

1. Schnohr, P., et al., Stress and life dissatisfaction are inversely associated with jogging and other types of physical activity in leisure time—The Copenhagen City Heart Study. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 2005. 15(2): p. 107-112.

2. Martikainen, S., et al., Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis reactivity to psychosocial stress in children. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2013. 98(4): p. E619-E627.

3. Agudelo, L.Z., et al., Skeletal muscle PGC-1α1 modulates kynurenine metabolism and mediates resilience to stress-induced depression. Cell, 2014. 159(1): p. 33-45.

blog-title-stress-yellow-cloud-lightning

Lets talk about stress in the workplace

by The Pipon 14 June 2016in PipCorporate

“A problem shared is a problem halved” is a saying we have all heard but is there any truth in it when it comes to workplace stress? When people are stressed out by work they often have a tendency to focus purely on the stress and to isolate themselves from colleagues by ignoring breaks and social occasions. Yet often when people are overly stressed the amount of time spent ‘working’ is actually time spent procrastinating, worrying about the to-do list and just feeling stressed.

We are bombarded with messages that stress is bad but stress can be good or bad depending on how you frame it. Chronic, uncontrollable stress is not good but short bursts of stress can sharpen our thinking and give us the tools to address future challenges. Often the difference in feeling overwhelmed is how we react to it (e.g. see [1]). If you see stress as something unfixable that you have no control over it is likely to make things worse. Most of the time, however, the cause of stress can be addressed either by changing our mindset or by changing something practical.

For example, if you are stressed about a problem in work that seems huge and important try stepping outside of yourself and asking if, in the grand scheme of things, it really is that important. If the answer is no then you can keep working on it but tell yourself that you can only do as much as you can do. If the answer is, yes it is important, map out a series of small steps that you need to take to challenge the problem and take them one at a time to prevent becoming overwhelmed.

This is where talking to colleagues can help. Research has shown that social support can buffer stress [2]. The more social support people feel when faced with a stressful challenge, the less likely they are to feel the strain. However a second study found an interesting addendum to this. Social support from colleagues is more important for reducing stress-related exhaustion than social support from external people [3]. This may be because colleagues can offer practical support in dealing with a stressful workload. While family and friends can be supportive they can’t offer aid in the same way that colleagues can.

This suggests that it is not just talking about stress that helps but talking about stress with the aim to tackling the underlying cause. For example, can you request more assistance from your supervisor or colleagues on a problem? Can you suggest changes to administration structures that would free up time? Has anyone else previously faced and surmounted the challenge you have been set and can they offer any tips?

Sometimes we get so caught up in our own work that we forget about the colleagues around us that are going through the same thing. Social support and friendship in work helps not only tackle stress but also increases job satisfaction, job involvement and even productivity [4]. So the next time you’re feeling stressed about work try to take back some control, take a break with a colleague and try sharing a problem to find a solution.

1. Robertson, I.H., The Stress Test: how pressure can make you stronger and sharper. 2016:# Bloomsbury Publishing.

2. Viswesvaran, C., J.I. Sanchez, and J. Fisher, The role of social support in the process of work stress: A meta-analysis. Journal of vocational behavior, 1999. 54(2): p. 314-334.

3. Halbesleben, J.R., Sources of social support and burnout: a meta-analytic test of the conservation of resources model. Journal of applied Psychology, 2006. 91(5): p. 1134.

4. Riordan, C.M. and R.W. Griffeth, The opportunity for friendship in the workplace: An underexplored construct. Journal of business and psychology, 1995. 10(2): p. 141-154.

Could reconnecting with nature replenish your mind?

by The Pipon 8 June 2016in PipLife, Stress Explained

Imagine the scene. You’re standing in a hidden forest on a brightly lit, warm Autumnal evening. The trees above you rustle from the gentle breeze and the leaves in brilliant reds, oranges and golds decoratively dot the soft ground beneath your feet. The air is crisp and you can hear songbirds gently singing over your head. Maybe there’s a river trickling nearby…

June Blog 2 - Why it's important to get out into the sun

Improve your mood & reduce stress with sunshine

by The Pipon 7 June 2016in PipLife

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
you make me happy when skies are grey”

… sang Jonathan Edwards in 1971. And he was right, sunshine does make us happy. When we think of sunshine we think of long carefree days lying on a beach, having a picnic in a park or merely waking up to golden rays of light seeping in between the curtains. Sunshine is good for us both psychologically and physically. For example, sunlight is an important source of vitamin D, a crucial vitamin that keeps bones healthy and teeth strong. Of course, like everything there is a middle ground between too much sunshine, too little sunshine and just the right amount.

Research Study finds Pip helps reduce stress

by The Pipon 1 June 2016in PipNews

Today, we’re delighted to announce that research conducted by Trinity College Dublin found that using Pip can effectively reduce stress.

The study, “Smartphone applications utilizing biofeedback can aid stress reduction”, compared the use of the Pip’s companion Apps with a conventional gaming App with 50 university students. It concluded that using Pip significantly reduced the short-term psychological and physiological signs of stress. These findings were recently published in Frontiers of Psychology, a leading peer-reviewed psychology journal.

Research Findings

Researchers found that 30 minutes use of the Pip following a stress-induction procedure significantly reduced heart rate and perceived stress in a sample of 25 university students, compared to an equally-sized control group playing a conventional gaming App for the same time period. Specifically, using Pip’s companion Apps ‘Relax and Race’ and ‘The Loom’ for 15 minutes each reduced self-reported stress by 50% compared to 18% in the control group and heart rate by 8% compared to 2% in the control group.

The full research paper is available here:

According to Professor Ian Robertson, Chair of our Scientific Advisory Board and Professor of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin, the findings of this study have wide-scale implications.

‘The development of small wireless biofeedback devices, like the Pip, and biofeedback-based Apps gives people a window into their physical response to stress, helping them learn to control it. The findings of this study indicate this can reduce short-term stress.’

He further added that

‘While this study has shown that in the short term Pip was effective at reducing stress, we also know that people who regularly practice reducing stress can learn to reduce their stress response on demand.’

As a company, the science behind Pip is very important to us and we’ve taken an evidence based approach to it’s development. Research institutions and organisations around the world have been incorporating it into research studies and the publication of this study further validates Pip as an effective stress reduction tool.

You can view a video of Prof. Ian Robertson explaining the study here.

School Wellness – Classroom Activity – Calm Breathing

by The Pipon 31 May 2016in PipSchools

Calm Breathing

Equipment:
(Optional) – Toy bubble container

Activity Instructions:
This is an activity to help children learn to recognise and regulate their breathing. Often when children are stressed or anxious they will complain of physical symptoms such as tummy pain or a sore chest. This is because they are not able to understand or articulate their feelings well enough to tell you that they are anxious. Children are also unlikely to notice that their breathing is quick and shallow when they are anxious, something that only further increases a feeling of panic. This exercise gives children a technique to use when they are feeling worried to help them relax.
You can do this with a small or big group. Stand at the front of the group with the children at desks or on the floor facing the leader. You can amend the script to suit the group or use this text:
Today we are going to practice our calm breathing. This is a special trick to help you feel calm if you are worried or scared about something. We are going to learn how to do it today and then you can keep practicing it yourself.

I want everyone to sit comfortably on their chair. Keep your back straight and your head facing the front. You can close your eyes if you want but you don’t have to. Now, I am going to count to 3 and we are all going to take a slow breath in. I want you to make the breath last until I get to 3 and after that I want you to breathe out just as slowly while I count to 3. Don’t gulp the air in, just breathe in slowly and feel yourself fill up with air.

Are you ready? Ok,

Breathe in 1 —- 2 —- 3 —-. Now breathe out 1 —- 2 —- 3 —-.

Did everyone feel themselves inflate like a balloon and then deflate again? We’re going to try that again and we’re going to do it a few times in a row.

Breathe in 1 —- 2 —- 3 —-, breathe out 1 —- 2 —- 3 —-.

Repeat this for a minimum of 5 breaths in and 5 breaths out. A good number to aim for is 10.

Optional Extras:

Depending on the age of the children some may have difficulty with the concept of breathing slowly. If this is the case you can use the toy bubbles to help them get the idea. Show them that when blowing bubbles they have to breathe out very slowly or the bubble will burst. Once they have got this concept you can remove the bubbles and get them to repeat the sensation without the prop.
Another option is to get them to feel their stomachs move in and out as they breathe. This is often good with older children. You can ask them to feel their stomach move out as they breathe in and imagine a balloon inflating inside them. When they breathe out they should imagine the balloon deflating.
It can also be good to put this activity in context for children by allowing them to discuss how the breathing made them feel. Ask them if they could feel their air going in and out, if they felt relaxed afterwards and to tell you anything else they may have observed. When they are actively engaged in the activity they will be more likely to remember to use it later if they are feeling anxious or worried.
This is also a good technique to use with the Pip. If you have Pips available ask them to try calm breathing versus quick breathing and see how this changes how fast their dragon flies on Relax and Race or how the graph changes on Stress Tracker. This will show them in a very visual way how calm breathing can help them to relax. You can have some children use the Pip while others practice breathing and then switch.

Don’t feel guilty about taking a stress free vacation

by The Pipon 31 May 2016in PipLife

Most of us are allowed vacation days but sometimes there can be a sense of guilt associated with taking time off. U.S. workers only took 51% of the short time they were allowed off in 2014 [1]. Many were worried about falling behind, losing out on promotions or irritating colleagues. But this reasoning may be flawed. Research shows that not only are vacations good for you but they also increase productivity meaning they’re good for the workplace too. Here we give you three top reasons why you shouldn’t feel guilty about taking a vacation:

Stress , how can I help my child deal with it?

by The Pipon 27 April 2016in PipLife, Stress Explained

All children Stress about things in their life.

The word ‘stress’ is seen as a negative word but actually stress can be good for us. Not only does it sharpen our thinking to help deal with challenges but periods of stress can teach us important coping and resilience strategies. The same is true for children. Small challenges, stresses or worries in a child’s life can help them, with support, to develop the coping mechanisms they will need to deal with bigger stresses later on. The important thing is to stop stress from becoming distress.

Stress Management Techniques for Kids

by The Pipon 30 March 2016in PipLife, Stress Explained

As hard as we try to let kids be kids it can sometimes be difficult to stop our own stresses seep into our interactions with children. Kids are highly attuned to emotions and can pick up on parental stress. In fact parental stress in early childhood is known to affect children both behaviourally and biologically [1]. The good news is that a few simple activities can help to reduce children’s stress.

Here we list 4:

Mindful Parenting – we’ve all heard about mindfulness and the benefits it has in our own lives but a new area of research is investigating mindful parenting. The aim of mindful parenting is to bring mindfulness techniques such as acceptance and in-the-moment awareness into interactions with children. The widespread benefit of this approach has yet to be validated with full randomized control trials but early results show some promising effects on improving relationships between parents and children and reducing risky behaviours in adolescents [2,3]. Many schools are also starting to introduce mindfulness programmes for children themselves.

Physical Activity – children who are physically active have less extreme responses to stress than their non-active peers, a recent study found [4]. If your child is stressed out or anxious sending them outside to kick a ball around or play chasing with their friends may be a good way to distract them in the short term and help them to build up resilience in the long term.

Play – play is particularly important for helping children to develop cognitively, socially and emotionally. A report on children’s play in 2007 suggested that in the modern world children can be over-scheduled for after-school activities leading in some cases to more stress [5]. Free play with friends can be equally important for reducing stress and building resilience. In addition, an intervention study found that mother-child play for 10 minutes a day, 5 days a week both reduced maternal stress and improved children’s cognitive development [6]. So if you find both yourself and your child are stressed out try some free play time to bring you both back to equilibrium.

Sleep – sleep is important for everyone but it is critical for children, whose brains are still growing and developing. A recent study found that children who had poor quality of sleep had greater stress responses than their peers [7]. Ensuring that your child has a good, stable sleep routine is an important way of helping their brains to develop properly and leave them able to face the challenges of growing up.

References

1. Essex, M.J., et al., Epigenetic vestiges of early developmental adversity: childhood stress exposure and DNA methylation in adolescence. Child Development, 2013. 84(1): p. 58-75.

2. Turpyn, C.C. and T.M. Chaplin, Mindful Parenting and Parents’ Emotion Expression: Effects on Adolescent Risk Behaviors. Mindfulness, 2015: p. 1-9.

3. Coatsworth, J.D., et al., Changing parent’s mindfulness, child management skills and relationship quality with their youth: Results from a randomized pilot intervention trial. Journal of child and family studies, 2010. 19(2): p. 203-217.

4. Martikainen, S., et al., Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis reactivity to psychosocial stress in children. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2013. 98(4): p. E619-E627.

5. Milteer, R.M., et al., The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: Focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics, 2012. 129(1): p. e204-e213.

6. Tachibana, Y., et al., A new mother-child play activity program to decrease parenting stress and improve child cognitive abilities: A cluster randomized controlled trial. PloS one, 2012. 7(7): p. e38238.

7. Hatzinger, M., et al., Electroencephalographic sleep profiles and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenocortical (HPA)-activity in kindergarten children: Early indication of poor sleep quality associated with increased cortisol secretion. Journal of psychiatric research, 2008. 42(7): p. 532-543.

Author: The Pip

Research Findings

Calm Breathing

All children Stress about things in their life.

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